Not Quite Heartless
by Masako Moonshade
Summary: Kingdom Hearts fanfiction, most of them oneshots with various pairings and various themes. Humor, suspense, etc.
1. Of Water and Flame

**Of Water and Flames**

Note: Alex is what I conjecture to be Axel's name before he lost his heart. Note the similarities between Sora and Roxas, etc. This also takes place in what I presume to be the time before Axel became a Nobody. By my theory, he was learning magic at the time (kind of how I presume Vexen to have been a chemist in his past life).

Note II: This is a single interconnected story, but few, if any, of the sentences are in order, for those new to the 1sentence game. Included before each entry/sentence/whatever you choose to call it, I've included the prompt that inspired it.

Note II: This was written for Kya, who, slightly miffed that the only pictures we could locate of Axel involved him kissing Roxas. In retaliation, I gave Axel a girlfriend...and this is their story...

* * *

#01 – Motion: He couldn't quite get the hang of swimming; there were too many directions to move, and every motion could change anything.

#02 – Cool: Sitting on that rock, he looked _good_, and she knew it, and no matter how taboo it was, she thoroughly enjoyed staring up at him from the water's edge.

#03 – Young: He was still the apprentice to the lousy old sorcerer, and just being around the old crone made him feel furiously young and naive.

#04 – Last: "So...this is goodbye," he said, and he would have said more if she hadn't kissed him quickly on the lips.

#05 – Wrong : What she expected to see was a handsome young merman, just like he'd always been; what she saw was a good looking human, staring a silent apology at her through his fiery hair.

#06 – Gentle: The sharkskin had left his hands raw and bloody, but when Ariel wrapped them, the touch of her fingers was more soothing than any salve could have been.

#07 – One: Of all the spells he wanted to show her, it just _had_ to be the one that shot a stone at the nearest shark; and of all the sharks that he could have hit, this one just _had_ to be as irritable as it was hungry.

#08 – Thousand: A storm erupted, and he learned very quickly what it meant to worry—each one of the thousand thrashing waves might have dashed her against the merciless rocks, and each crash of thunder gave rise to a new swell of terror for her safety.

#09 – King: As the giant merman approached, scepter in hand, Alex wasn't really focused on bowing or anything like that; he was too stunned to hear the crab address Ariel as _Princess_.

#10 – Learn: He loved teaching her things—but mostly it was just showing off his spells and listening to her gasp when he created a tongue of flame above the water's surface.

#11 – Blur: He felt oddly numb, and after a moment's confusion he realized, horrified, that he was changing back.

#12 – Wait: He swam as fast as he could, but she swam faster, wondering what she had said or done to make him flee so desperately.

#13 – Change: The incantation was complicated and difficult, but nobody else his age would have learned a shapeshifting spell yet; that was enough to make him keep trying until, after literally hundreds of obstinately failed attempts, he had managed to (instead of turning into an octopus, as expected), transfigure his feet into a scaly red tail.

#14 – Command: With a single word, Triton sealed Alex's fate—and as the finned soldiers approached, all the boy could do was to flee and pray that he could remember some kind of spell that could save him.

#15 – Hold: His arms were strong, and even though he was holding her against him in the dry air, she had never felt more safe.

#16 – Need: It took Ariel a moment to realize, as Alex clutched at his throat, that though she didn't need to breathe dry air, he did.

#17 – Vision: Red seeped into his line of sight, and at that moment, he wasn't sure if it was blood or death—if the soldiers had caught him or if the spell had destroyed him by itself.

#18 – Attention: "Is there something wrong?" she wondered, but he was too distracted to answer: she was pretty—extremely so—and wearing nothing but a clamshell brassier.

#19 – Soul: There was something incredible about her voice—it had a magic about it, something that completely enchanted him (and being a wizard's apprentice, this was quite a feat).

#20 – Picture: He thought he'd been keeping his feelings for her a secret, but his (poor) doodles in the margins of all the sorcerer's books made the old man suspicious.

#21 – Fool: "You lied to me," was her accusation; "I never said I wasn't human," was his pathetic reply.

#22 – Mad: Perhaps he'd lost his mind, but when she raised her hand to slap him a second time, he pulled it close and kissed it.

#23 – Child: "I'll take him away from her," the wizard promised Triton, "Just don't hurt the boy—he's like a son to me."

#24 – Now: The more time he spent with Ariel, the less his old concerns mattered to him; past and future seemed to lose their reality and became sleepy dreams to be played with and spoken of, but never again worried over.

#25 – Shadow: Despite her efforts to keep Alex a secret, it soon became common knowledge that Ariel had a new shadow with a red fin.

#26 – Goodbye: The Nobody named Axel wandered along the edge of a beach in an out-of-the-way world, looking for signs of Roxas (or Sora, if necessary) but when he saw the pretty red-head in the arms of the foppish looking man, he suddenly lost interest in his quest; he couldn't be sure why he felt so much pain just then.

#27 – Hide: She fled into the shadows of the kelp, attempting to disguise her face, "Please don't tell daddy I'm here," she begged; but she didn't flee quickly enough to keep him from learning that she was absolutely beautiful.

#28 – Fortune: What he finally showed her was a meager divination spell: "You will live a long life and overcome all your problems, and end up marrying the man you love..." and perhaps it was only wishful thinking that made him add, "And he will be human."

#29 – Safe: Even after he left, and she kept collecting trinkets from his world—the world above the surface of the sea, where humans walked on the sand—and someday, she dreamed, she would find him again and he would explain every one of them to her, just like he used to.

#30 – Ghost: He had barely gone a league before he saw it: a shape flitting through the seaweed below him and a flash of red like fire beneath the sea.

#31 – Book: Concentrating on his studies and spells had been difficult before, but now he sliced through them with a lover's passion—anything to impress Ariel.

#32 – Eye: As friendly as she was to the rest of her father's kingdom, there had always been a swift respect for her; it intrigued her that this green-eyed young merman was brave enough (or bold, or friendly) to look her in the eye.

#33 – Never: "I never wanted to hurt you," he said, kissing her hand again, "That's why I couldn't tell you the truth."

#34 – Sing: He made sure not even Roxas could hear him before he started to hum that tune from a time he couldn't remember.

#35 – Sudden: "We're leaving on a journey," the wizard said, and Alex felt his heart drop from his chest; "Pack your things, we won't be coming back after tomorrow."

#36 – Stop: She had been gazing childishly at the night sky beside him when she drifted to sleep, and suddenly he ended his reverie, realizing that she was draped over his shoulder and, even among the sea-tumbled rocks, he had never felt more comfortable.

#37 – Time: As the years passed, Ariel grew up, saw another human, and fell in love with the one named Erik—and the day she did, Alex lost his heart and became Axel.

#38 – Wash: The old wizard, though wise in the affairs of magic and mystery, was having a difficult time understanding why Alex was suddenly so meticulous about his appearance.

#39 – Torn: He wasn't sure he could explain to her, and he wasn't sure that he wanted to; she was a mermaid, and he wasn't.

#40 – History: At that point, Alex didn't care about guards or soldiers or Triton's lethal commands; he was going to see Ariel, and nobody—not even his diligent history of close calls—was going to stop him.

#41 – Power: Sora didn't understand why Ariel was so curious about a red haired man with green eyes, but when he related that Axel was dead, he wasn't sure he wanted to know why there were tears in her eyes.

#42 – Bother: "Doesn't it...you know...bother you, that I'm not a merman?" he asked, looking meekly up at her; she ruffled his flame-red hair and kissed his cheek, and he promptly forgot what he had asked her.

#43 – God: The sharks approached, and for the first time in his life, Alex prayed.

#44 – Wall: As he rode away from her for what he thought would be the last time, the sea seemed as flat and unyielding as a wall of stone, and he resigned himself never to see Ariel again.

#45 – Naked: When the spell wore off and he was human again, Alex was suddenly very glad that Ariel was long gone: mermen, as it turned out, weren't known for wearing pants...and suddenly, neither was he.

#46 – Drive: Hot water, he realized after a shameful pause, is very painful; a moment later he turned this discovery against the shark, and watched with pride as it fled from his fusion of fire and water.

#47 – Harm: All he wanted in that moment was to keep her safe, and so when the shark had her cornered, it was his body in front of its massive teeth and his fist pummeling its serrated skin.

#48 – Precious: He gave her a candle of her very own, along with a little spell—that the fire would burn as long as he lived to love her—and she kept it as her most prized possession.

#49 – Hunger: "Alex, what have you—" the wizard wondered, after the boy had spent another day (this would be the fifth in a row) floundering about in the ocean; his apprentice sheepishly lifted a dead fish from behind his back (hoping that the wizard wouldn't see Ariel's hand shove it into his hands from her hiding place beneath the waves) and mumbled: "I was…er…hungry…"

#50 – Believe: She listened with rapt attention to every word he said, and for the first time he was trusted absolutely; he could tell her anything and know it would be accepted as truth...and so it hurt him even more to know that she was still being lied to.


	2. The Knight and his Lady

Disclaimer: ...Me? Own anything? Pshaw.

AN: Same style, different plot. I've turned this into my random bin for KH fiction. Enjoy!

**The Knight and his Lady**

**Fandom**: Kingdom Hearts (Chain of Memories)

**Pairing**: Riku Replica X Namine

**Theme Set**: Delta

**Rating**: PG

**Warnings**: Spoilers, some mild violence

* * *

#01 – Air: He scoops her up in his arms and leaps from the window, grinning wide as her excited shouts are lost to the rushing wind.

#02 – Apples: She smells of apples, and the scent brings back a rush of memories: the two of them eating together, laughing as he bit down on a bitter seed, and all the innocence of children still within their reach.

#03 – Beginning: In the beginning, he struggles; he feels more terror than pain as he realizes each memory is being ripped from his head, and he writhes and shouts for it to stop...almost apologetically, one memory is allowed to remain (or has it been placed there?) —of blond hair and tender hands.

#04 – Bugs: Vexen expects his creation to be an obedient little doll—he never counted on the doll's own anger or doubt, and not for the first time, the Nobody finds a glitch in the system.

#05 – Coffee: It never occurred to him until she points out that he never sleeps, and that he is never tired.

#06 – Dark: He wears Darkness like a cloak, and never questions it.

#07 – Despair: Larxene is the worst— her words are the cruelest, her electric whispers linger longest in the frigid room while Namine is left to fight back tears.

#08 – Doors: There are far too many floors that divide them, too many doors that he has long since memorized, all of them obstacles to keep him from her if she ever needed him.

#09 – Drink: Axel heats the tea in his hands and hands it to the weeping girl; "Vexen was the one who made your Riku," he says after a thoughtful pause, "I'm sure he had a way to bring him back."

#10 – Duty: Vexen tells him that his first duty is to protect Namine, and the only way to do that is to kill Sora.

#11 – Earth: "This entire world can be ours for the taking," he tells her as they raced away from the castle, "And if we get tired of this one, then we can go to other worlds—hundreds of them!"

#12 – End: It isn't death itself that actually scares him (having never technically been born, dying can't be too big a deal), so Real Thing's sympathetic words do nothing to dispel his dread: what truly frightens him was the thought that his heart (he isn't real, after all, but he isn't a Nobody, either) could be forever cut off from hers after this.

#13 – Fall: As she weeps, he remembers knights and their ladies, and drops to his knees and kisses her hand, "I made a promise to protect you," he swears, wiping away her tears, "And I intend to keep it."

#14 – Fire: He loathes the idea of bowing to the Jester, but Namine's happiness is worth more than his own pride, and so he trudges to Axel's chambers and says, with all the humility he can muster, "I need your help."

#15 – Flexible: He comes back dejected; after scouring every floor of the castle, he hasn't been able to find the color Namine had wanted; she smiles and assures him that, naturally, trees look best with blue leaves anyway.

#16 – Flying: He is thrown aside like a rag doll, but suddenly he doesn't care about defeat or darkness—all he sees is Namine's face, her eyes welling into tears as he crumples against a far wall, and his last thoughts before awareness leaves him: 'I'm not finished yet...I won't...let anything...happen to you...'

#17 – Food: Lexaeus is a good cook, even if none of the castle's inhabitants need to eat; oddly enough, it takes little persuasion and not even a threat of violence to convince him to make a secret dinner for Namine...persuading Axel to hunt down and ignite several candles is a different matter entirely.

#18 – Foot: He races from the Organization in leaps and bounds, Namine still tight in his arms, and it isn't until Castle Oblivion has been reduced to a speck in the distance that he lowers her to the ground and they flee on foot.

#19 – Grave: He believed he was dead, and when he fades back into consciousness and sees her keeping silent watch over him, he believes he has finally reached heaven.

#20 – Green: Suddenly he sees Sora in a new light, tinged in jealousy: this is someone real, someone original, someone sincere—somebody who actually has a chance to win Namine's love; and in that moment his heart breaks and he crumbles to the floor.

#21 – Head: "You've succeeded this time," Vexen says, distastefully nudging the corpse before it splinters into Heartless and Dusk, "But don't get a big head."

#22 – Hollow: He can feel, of course, but his emotions reek of falsehood, and only his forged memories hold any sense of completion.

#23 – Honor: He has dreams that only she knows about (after all, it was she who illustrates them) about being a proud knight and doing deeds so great that some great king would bend before him and offer him a name of his own.

#24 – Hope: For nearly a year, Namine spends every spare moment and shred of strength (restoring Sora's memories is taking more out of her than she had imagined) rummaging through Vexen's dusty study for the restorative formulas; when she finds it, Axel will put it into action—but only if she opens up a way for him to see Roxas again.

#25 – Light: She sleeps, though she knows she doesn't need to, and he is amazed that she seems almost to glow in her gentle slumber.

#26 – Lost: "I don't think I can take much more of this," she sobs into his dark shoulder; he squeezes her gently and whispers into her hair: "Then let's escape, just the two of us."

#27 – Metal: The oddly shaped sword feels cold and brutal in his hand—it is a blade created to leave no survivors in its wake, and it seems strangely poetic that such a cruel weapon be used to protect somebody so pure.

#28 – New: He wakes as though from a long slumber to see Namine leaning over him; "Welcome back," she says with a grateful smile, "You're real now—not a copy of anyone...and I'll call you whatever name you want..." she breaks down into relieved tears and collapses into his shoulder, her small form heaving with sobs, "Just...please...don't leave me again."

#29 – Old: He finds himself rocking her gently, nearly overwhelmed by the surge of emotions that are so much stronger and clearer than anything his old self could have felt, and whispers into her hair: "I won't leave; I'll still be your Riku."

#30 – Peace: Namine races between them and both warriors freeze in their tracks, each staring confused at his lethal adversary and at the girl who risks her precious life to end their battle.

#31 – Poison: Fake, fake, fake: the word surges through his mind, numbing his body, and it is all he can do to stare up at Namine—demanding an explanation and dreading what could be the truth.

#32 – Pretty: It's only natural for him to be attracted to her, after all...or at least, that would have been his excuse, had he been human.

#33 – Rain: The darkening sky should have been their first warning, but freedom makes them too dizzy to glimpse that tall, hooded shadow in the distance.

#34 – Regret: "It was wonderful while it lasted," she says to him on that long march back to their prison, and inwardly he wonders if leaving Oblivion is even possible anymore.

#35 – Roses: Marluxia gives him a strange look when he asks for the rose, but finally the Nobody acquiesces, and Riku races back, triumphant, to his Lady's room.

#36 – Secret: He can never be sure if she knows how he feels, but he can't quite bring himself to confess, either.

#37 – Snakes: Despite the horror that he might get hurt, there is something hypnotic about watching her Riku fight: the fluid grace of his muscles, the refined speed and power, the precision of his every strike...he's almost serpentine; and she can't help but wonder how long snakes have been her favorite animal.

#38 – Snow: She reminds him of the princess from Marluxia's books: the one with skin like fresh snow, the one who was trapped in a glass prison while the ones who loved her most were forced to watch.

#39 – Solid: The castle is a massive garden, all of its flowers frozen in perfection within unyielding marble while a menagerie of bizarre not-real creatures prowl among shards of illusory memories.

#40 – Spring: After he returns Namine to the safety of her room, the austere walls seem a little less oppressive, the marble flowers become a little less eerie, and not even Larxene's glare can dampen the spring in his step.

#41 – Stable: He apologizes in every way he knows, promises her it will never happen again—he swore to protect her, and he will never again let his own instability put her in danger.

#42 – Strange: He races to her room with his treasure cupped safely in his numb hands, and she cries out in delight when he bursts through the door...even half melted and diminished, the snow is beautiful and cool and pliant and so wonderfully strange that it's all she can do not to give him a kiss for his wonderful gift.

#43 – Summer: She grins at the dinner, she laughs at the charred candles, but when she sees the rose, the expression on her face transfigures even the icy chamber into summer.

#44 - Taboo: It's his own fault for never telling her how he felt, but with every new report ("Your hero is coming," "Your knight has arrived,"), he realizes more thoroughly how impossible his dream really is.

#45 – Ugly: She recoils from his anger, and suddenly he sees himself for the first time, clashing against her: his darkness against her light, his tainted power against her pure sweetness; and he wants at once to flee from her presence and to shield her beauty from the world that so disfigured him.

#46 – War: "She'll be the Organization's tool as long as they're around," Axel says, toying with his Chakrams even as he speaks, "I can get rid of them for you, but you'll have to do exactly as I say; got it memorized?"

#47 – Water: That first time he drags himself away from the battle he cannot win, to stand sentry before her door in case someone (likely Larxene) decides that Sora's progress is somehow Namine's fault, and he's gasping from injury and exhaustion by the time he arrives; it is Namine—the angel, the goddess— who thanks him for his bravery, who urges him to rest, and leaves his side only to bring him potions and water.

#48 – Welcome: He tries to regain his feet, to fight, but Namine gets there first, meekly welcoming her attacker and offering herself to be taken back to her hellish chamber in the castle, but only if Saix promises not to hurt him.

#49 – Winter: Axel sent him on a rare mission from the Land that Never Was ("I have this thing with being cold, ya know?") and for the first time, Riku sees snow up close.

#50 – Wood: He is running, running, pulling his precious refugee behind him, when suddenly he finds himself rooted to the ground by two feline eyes, and he can barely hear Saix saying "I think it's time for our little witch to come home."


	3. Deal With a Devil

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nothing at all. I'd say I own Nobody, too, but alas, Axel isn't mine either.

AN: Done for a challenge on another community, and written while I'm sick and less than coherent. Forgive me.

* * *

Axel stormed into the mansion, melting the iron gate and splintering the massive door as he went. Namine almost barricaded herself into her room—the safe, open white one, its monotone disturbed only by her little drawings—but she rushed to the dining hall instead, where the doors were thicker and the heavy table offered a better place to hide.

It didn't stop him. He raced from one room to the next, smashing and shouting as he went, finally bursting through the wooden door of her shelter.

"_WHERE IS HE_?" he roared, and she suddenly recalled how DiZ had compared him to a lion. A dangerous, starved, crazed predator. She flinched, and a ripple of shadow cascaded from her ivory form. He pounced on the flicker, demolishing the table in a burst of flame, and now he loomed over her. "_Where is he?_" he repeated again, his voice a fierce growl.

For a long time, the only thing she felt was terror. But even fear drained away from her, dripped from her small white form and was replaced by defiance; anger. She pulled herself to her feet, locking her eyes on his.

"DiZ isn't here," she said quietly.

"I'm not talking about your demon!" he snarled. "_Where is Roxas?_"

Perhaps she was thinking more coherently now that the fear subsided, or perhaps she had lost all sanity in the moment before. But now she saw him—truly saw him. That torpid anger had always been there, always half-hidden under emerald eyes, always subdued in the past by his blond companion; there was a pallor there, too, and it seemed that Axel's usually dark skin had taken on her own tone. Emotions that he shouldn't—couldn't—have felt pulled his face into a frightening mask. Dread. Fear. Hatred. Worry. Fury. He was different from the other Nobodies, and she knew it. How ironic that he named DiZ the demon: Axel himself was now a body of flame and rage, a perfect storybook monster. Perhaps he was worse than even a demon; maybe he was the devil himself, out to destroy whatever good was left in her fractured little world. And she remembered, with awful clarity, what he had done.

"He's gone now," she said coolly. "You can't reach him anymore."

And they said that last word together, united in that odd way that enemies always are: "_Murderer_."

And suddenly the storm erupted, and the air was drenched with accusations and betrayals and his lightning rage pitted against her driving fury.

"You killed them all," she said, her voice like ice. "They were your friends and you marched them to their deaths—"

"You've taken him!" he snapped, never touching her, though his glare could have scorched her hair. "You've destroyed him, you've—"

"You betrayed them!"

"You turned on him!"

"He was my best friend!"

"They took care of me!"

"_It's your fault!_"

And as quickly as it had begun, the storm broke, and all went silent, and they could only stare.

"If you liked it there so much," he said cruelly, his quiet threat nearly drowned out by the still air, "Then what are you doing with the likes of _him_?" DiZ, of course. That disgusted sneer was the only identification she needed. Namine didn't hesitate; she had asked herself the same question, and always emerged with the same answer:

"He's going to bring Sora back," she said, and something new crossed his face. Something still dangerous.

"I helped you bring him back," he said, leaning closer to make sure she caught every word. "I helped you get to him, I helped you meet him, I cleared the way so you could put him to sleep or whatever it is you did."

"You had them killed."

"Sora was their executioner, and you're so eager to save him. I set the stage so he could _survive_."

"To save your own skin," she accused.

"I did it for Roxas," he corrected fiercely. "And for you and your precious Sora. You owe me, Namine."

"No." She turned away, realizing a moment too late how dangerous that move was. He was still angry, still coursing with internal flames, still holding those deadly chakrams. "I don't want anything to—"

"They'll come for him," he said. "And now they'll probably try to eliminate him while they still can. And you know they're willing to do it." She turned back to him, carefully, willing the worry not to appear in her eyes. "They can kill him. I can save him. Got it memorized?"

It wasn't like she wanted to listen, but now she didn't turn away or drown him out with shouts as he spoke. That thought chilled her—as real and powerful as one of her conjured memories: the mansion flooded with black robes and grotesque white Dusks; the crystal bloom where Sora slept, shattered; their blades and dark magic all focused into vengeance and hatred that they could only remember feeling—

"I can keep them out of here. I can make sure nobody hurts your precious Sora until he wakes up." The thought was tempting, the offer welcoming after the horrified image of the boy's destruction. But she knew better. Axel's coaxing hadn't made her forget his crimes in Castle Oblivion. He was still a devil, a lion, a monster, and any bargain she made with him could only end in disaster.

"And in exchange?" She prompted. Another long silence followed, again their jewel-toned eyes stared each other down in the midst of the splintered, ruined mansion.

"I want him back," Axel said at last, and again she saw that lion. Still hungry, still enraged, but much older now. Wounded and weary. Still dangerous, but nearly pathetic in its exhaustion.

"I can't give Roxas back to you," she said without malice, and something flickered over him. Anger, partially, and despair. "But I can let you see him again. And if," she cursed herself for those words even as they left her mouth, "if you keep up your end of the deal, and if you can get him past DiZ, then..."_ I'm being stupid,_ she thought. _You can't deal with devils without losing your soul_. "I won't stop you." He leaned forward to speak again, his face obscured by a strange expression, and she hastily amended. "But I won't help you, either! I'll show you where he is, but that's it."

* * *

She lied, of course. After Axel saw the computer room under the library and vanished, DiZ returned, telling Namine with strained sincerity that he was glad she was safe as he replaced the ruined doors and gates (he never bothered reviving much of the splintered furniture). When DiZ went away to do whatever it was he did, she would unlock the door and Axel would creep inside, typing and toying with the countless screens while she kept guard. It took nearly a year for Axel to break through layers of codes and encryptions, but Namine guessed them all in no time, and she began to watch over Roxas (an added favor to Axel, so he'd make extra sure to keep the Organization out). The boy was fascinating, and slowly she learned to appreciate why Axel was so intent on rescuing his lost friend. She met with him, befriended him (almost?) and told him, for Axel's sake, about how they had been best friends once.

Axel came to her again, even after Roxas disappeared and Sora woke, asking for favors, and together they forged deals of their own. She became a reluctant part of his renegade schemes, and he offered ever more help to her unwitting ward.

* * *

The final deal was perhaps the hardest.

Axel crept into the mansion, wounded and weakened by that last fight; Saix had found him, nearly killed him, and Namine knew it the moment she looked at Axel's heaving form.

"You need to give up on Roxas," she commanded, as much for his sake as for Sora's. Axel shook his head, a rough smile on his face.

"Not a chance."

"Why not?" she asked. She wasn't afraid of the Lion anymore, and if she hadn't quite forgiven him for his betrayals yet, at least she could look past them.

"Because he's still important to me," he said. And then she got that look in her eye, the one that informed him that she was quite ready to make a deal with this particular devil. "I'm not willing to trade for him," he said stubbornly.

"And if you were?" she prompted. She'd spent too much time around him. "If you were, what would it take to make you give him up for good?" He called her bluff, and made his condition:

"You'd have to give up something of your own," he said. "Something as precious as he is to me." When she still didn't back down, he continued: "You'd have to disappear, just like he did. Leave your life and everything else behind and become a part of Kairi. No more watching Sora, no more doodling in that white room of yours, no more nothing." He let the words smolder in the air for a moment, the gravity of his request sinking into her skin.

For a long moment, she was silent.

"I thought so," he said, pulling himself to his feet. He was sure he could find a potion somewhere in Twilight Town...

"I'll do it." The words stunned him. She couldn't have...he must have misheard... "I'll disappear. I'll become a part of Kairi. Will that be enough for you?" She touched his arm, aware that the contact chilled him while it burned her. "Will that end this?" He nodded dumbly, and she turned away, opening a corridor into the Darkness (one of those little skills he had taught her, in exchange for a tricky password). She wasn't bluffing anymore, and now she could nearly hear him crumbling behind her.

"You're seriously going to do it, then?" he asked quietly. She stepped into the shadow without a word. "I'll...I'll say my goodbyes, then," he sighed, vanishing into a corridor of his own before she drifted out of earshot.

* * *

He kept his promise; she kept hers. But she lied, of course. Even when she became a part of Kairi, she didn't disappear—she became whole, just like she had promised Roxas. And when Sora told her about Axel's goodbye, (_and she never, ever meant for that to happen_!), he couldn't explain why she started to cry.

She'd made a deal with Axel, after all—her personal devil. How ironic that this demon lost his own soul in the bargain.


	4. Compromise

Disclaimer: Still own squatcakes. Blast.

AN: This is a little drabble I wrote as an entry to the KHDrabble community on livejournal. Quite fun, I have to say. Didn't win, but I'm proud of this one nonetheless.

**Challenge: 095 Poison  
Title: Compromise  
Word Count: 204  
****Spoilers: ...If you don't know anything about Organization XIII, then maybe.**

He wasn't a good fighter. That much was very clear.

Blood made him squeamish, pain was...well..._painful_, and he bruised _way_ too easily.

He preferred the steady _one, two, three, four_ beat of his Sitar, the _drip, wave, ripple, shake_ of the water as it danced to all his favorite tunes.

But it wasn't just water that danced with him. That cloudy purple liquid, too—it was too thick, but that made it look even cooler when it spiraled against his water, and the way the light caught those oily slicks was just awesome...

He made sure to strum the Sitar very quietly, in that familiar _one, two, three, four_ beat that he liked so much, swishing the liquid until purple dissolved into clear, and then he vanished, watching from the shadows and still strumming at his closest friend, his wonderful Sitar, as the target entered the room and lifted the glass to his parched lips.

_One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight._

And the poison reached his heart and the target was dead.

No bruises, no blood, no aches or pains in the morning.

Demyx wasn't a good fighter. That much was clear. But he knew very well how to compromise.

Kairi shivered against the cold wind, but she didn't take her eyes off the water. She was sure she had seen...something. She couldn't be sure what, exactly. A figure, a shadow—a Heartless? A Nobody? She squinted against the dark, but the shape had disappeared into the twilight. She gripped at the empty air, a twitch, really, and found herself grasping the Keyblade Riku had given her. Just in case.

"Who's there?" she asked the darkness, her voice barely audible. She repeated the demand, a little louder.

"Me," said a voice—a woman's voice—from behind her. Kairi twisted, nearly falling into the sand as she struggled to face the stranger.

"And who are you?" Kairi asked, not lowering the weapon. She had never trained with it like the boys had, and she regretted that now...

_Calm_, she commanded herself. _Calm down_.

For a long moment, the woman was silent. Her clothes were dark, blending into the night like Heartless themselves, but the glimmering moonlight flickered off scars on her arms, off smoky red hair, off a long line of steel in the woman's hand.

Kairi brought the Keyblade up to a defensive stance (at least, that's what Riku had called it when they were children).

"I asked who you were," she said, sounding braver than she felt. A thin, cool smile brushed the stranger's lips.

"There's a reason why the Heroes always rescue the Damsels in Distress," she said, advancing another step and wrapping one long-fingered hand around the blade. "A Princess should never set foot on the battlefield, Kairi. War will be quick to taint that pure heart of yours."

"Answer me!" Kairi cried, and her voice sounded shrill even in her own ears. The woman bent down, studying her with stony blue eyes.

"Don't forget me," she murmured, that twisted smile on her too-familiar face. "I am what you have the potential to become."


	5. Nothing Wrong with Education

Disclaimer: Okay, I'll give you three guesses, and the first two don't count.

AN: Written for the KHDrabble community on LJ.

Challenge: Enchantment

Word Count: 449

* * *

The first surprise of the day was the fact that, instead of arriving in the room as the Superior had said, the black tendrils deposited him in front of a dingy looking bar. He then had to walk (yes, _walk_) up a road that seemed to lead on _forever_, until finally he plopped down, completely out of breath, on the shore of some huge lake in front of the castle.

"Shoulda sent Vexen," he grumbled to himself. "The guy could use the exercise..."

Anyway, he was already sick of the stupid assignment, in the stupid world, with the stupid castle with its stupid ugly statues, and the stupid new Nobody that was supposed to be 'arriving shortly', and the stupid... well, okay, the lake was nice.

And that girl wasn't half bad, either.

She was dressed kinda like him, but she wasn't quite as pale, and her eyes reminded him of--of all people--Axel, but she was smiling, and that was a good sign.

"Hi," she said kindly, extending a hand to help him up."My name is Lily. The Headmaster sent me to get you."

"Oh," Demyx was puzzled. "Ah... I'm--"

"Don't worry, Lumaria, they've already told me about you. It must be fascinating to transfer here from America."

"Eh... right," he mumbled.

And she started to explain a whole bunch of things that he didn't honestly understand, but he figured it'd be great if he just smiled and nodded, and that worked out great. Until, that is, that one kid with the messy black hair showed up. Suddenly the girl looked frustrated... no, furious was a better word.

"What is he--the nerve of that jerk..." she muttered, momentarily that Demyx was there. The Nobody hadn't heard such murderous growling since one of his Water Clones had collided with Zexion's favorite bookshelf.

"Um... is something wrong?" he asked carefully.

"I... no..." And then her Axel-like eyes lit up in a strange way. "Sorry," she said hastily.

And then she grabbed him and planted on him the biggest, best kiss of Demyx's unlife.

He could see out of the corner of his eye that the black-haired boy stopped dead, turned funny shades of red and white, and then stormed back into the castle. As soon as he disappeared, Lily released Demyx.

"I'm so sorry," she said quickly, looking rather red herself. "It's just that I can't stand that boy, and--"

"It's fine," he assured her, though he still felt a little drunk from the kiss. "Really, _really_ fine."

And still mumbling apologies and explanations, she led him into the looming halls of the castle.

Come to think of it, he always _did_ like high school.


	6. One Song

Disclaimer: I own nothing, especially not the KH drabble community that I originally submitted this to.

Challenge: Triumph and Tragedy  
Title: One Song  
Word Count: 494  
Rating: Nah… Maybe PG?  
Comments: Inspired by One Song Glory, from Rent… though I haven't heard it in several months.

* * *

He'd written plenty of songs before—that was nothing new. This one, though… this one was different. 

He'd seen starved Heartless with less persistence. The melody bit at his mind in the late hours of their arbitrary night, clawed and gnawed and chewed his brain, filling his head with a shower of tones, and it absolutely, positively would not let him go.

Naturally he had to get out his sitar and begin playing it. And playing. And occasionally writing down what he liked… here a chord—no, that didn't sound right… oh, but that one did—and there a sharp—no, a flat, yes… oh, and that one was even better…

It was his masterpiece. It was his obsession. He had to finish it—this one Song, just make it perfect and finish it and write it down, and then he wouldn't care if he had a real heart or not, because this Song would be enough. He played until his fingers bled, and then he just bandaged them and played some more. His Dancers twisted and twirled like muses, wilder than the sea, dancing themselves into exhausted slumber, only to resume again the moment they woke. He himself rarely slept… only when his fingers could no longer find their notes, and even then the haunting, exciting melody pulsed through his dreams.

He didn't eat much, either. It really wasn't all that urgent, he told himself, and he could eat when he was finished composing. Occasionally Xaldin would come by, armed with his skewers and as much food as he could carry, and threatened to stuff the entire load down Demyx's throat, so the Melodious Nocturn managed to get some nutrition. It worked for a while, anyway.

Then Xaldin stopped coming.

That made Demyx wonder a little bit; had he gotten tired of force-feeding a fellow member all the time? He promised himself that he'd thank his friend for the effort, and apologize… as soon as the Song was finished. Then Xaldin would hear it and understand why it was so important. Until then, food lost its appeal altogether.

One note at a time, the Song neared completion. Just a few more… and a stunning finish…

His pen had barely left the paper when Saix's boot landed on top of it.

"You have been given an assignment," he said icily.

Demyx tried to protest—he had to sleep, had to eat, had to show Xaldin the Song—

But finally he let himself be bullied into going to Hollow Bastion, where the Kid would be waiting. For the first time, he played his masterpiece to completion before his enemies, while the dancers whirled and leapt and thrilled with the glory of the last song their master would ever play.

The refrains passed, one by one, and the last dancer was sliced away as the final notes were plucked.

Starved, exhausted, utterly defeated, he felt his beloved sitar dissolve in his hand, and the Song fell silent.


End file.
